If words like Andouille, sai ua, and 'Nduja mean nothin' to you,
then keep watching for a real sausage party! Here's how you make 12 great sausages yourself!
In the U.S., Italian sausages typically contain raw ground pork, dried fennel seeds or anise, and
other dried herbs. They are generally available at the butcher's or in the grocery store meat aisle.
There are multiple different variations of sausages in Italy, and they vary based on region.
The Italian term "salsiccia" is categorical, like "bread" or "pasta," and refers to several
different sausage varieties. Various regions of Italy maintain unique sausage-making traditions.
In Basilicata, chili pepper, wild fennel, pepper, and anise flavor minced meat that
is shaped into casings. Puglia offers sausages such as the "cervellata in Toritto," which is
prepared with ground beef and pork sausage filled with fresh basil, garlic, and pecorino cheese.
The "zampina barese," also from Puglia, contains grated pecorino, tomato purée, parsley, and basil.
Other regions of Italy use ingredients such as pork rind, Grana Padano cheese, rice,
and yellow turnips in the making of sausages. Fresh Italian sausages of
any kind are incredibly versatile. Just ask any sausage expert, like Abe Froman…
"The sausage king of Chicago."
…and they'll tell you that Italian sausages can be added to soups, stews,
and meat sauces. They can also be used to top a frittata with deeply caramelized sausage.
Germany's Oktoberfest often features sauerkraut and beer, and bratwurst fits
right in. Bratwurst is a German sausage that was brought to the U.S. by immigrants in the 1800s.
In Germany, bratwurst comes in all shapes and sizes, with unique meat fillings and
seasonings that vary depending on the region. American bratwurst combines ground pork and veal
with warm notes of ginger and nutmeg, citrusy coriander, and caraway seed,
which is an essential rye bread ingredient. In some cases, cream and eggs are also added.
Cooking bratwurst is a devout celebratory practice. The Bucyrus Bratwurst Festival
in Bucyrus, Ohio reflects bratwurst fandom: fire-roasted bratwursts take center stage
every August, wrapped in fluffy white or rye bread and dressed in saucy condiments.
There are several different ways to consume Bratwurst: In North Carolina,
it's recommended that one should barbecue bratwurst and drizzle it in barbecue sauce
before placing it on a hotdog bun. But bratwurst purists generally advise enjoying the hearty
sausage as simply as possible, with nothing more than caramelized onions and mustard.
If you took a poll of people's favorite breakfast food, many of them would enthusiastically say…
"Sausage!"
Breakfast sausages are an integral part of breakfast at several restaurants.
Breakfast sausages in the United States are link sausages that are consumed alongside
bacon, eggs, or any other stateside breakfast plate.
They are usually made with pork, although turkey, lamb, veal, and chicken are also used.
Typical seasonings for breakfast sausages may include dried sage, dried thyme, onion powder,
garlic powder, and a dash of sugar to give the links a characteristic subtle sweetness.
Sausage links are made with a smooth meat filling, while loose meat patties feature a coarser grind.
Adventurous cooks can attempt homemade breakfast sausage patties at home by mixing
ground pork with seasonings and frying it in a pan or baking it in the oven.
Whether they're homemade or store-bought, breakfast sausages can be integrated into
a recipe that uses loose breakfast sausages in its biscuit-bound gravy.
Alternatively, try browning breakfast sausages in a lightly oiled pan to elevate
a morning breakfast side. You can also add a splash of red wine, let it reduce slightly,
and finish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The sweet and tangy glaze of
the reduced wine and sweet vinegar cut through the richness of the sausage in this recipe.
Andouille sausages are frequently used in dishes such as Louisianan gumbo,
jambalaya, as well as other Cajun fare. Andouille is actually French in origin. This sausage is
made from a pig's digestive tract: the stomach and intestines are chopped up and combined with onion
and other seasonings and stuffed into a casing made of the large intestine.
In the U.S., andouille takes on a verified Cajun identity. Sausages are
smoked twice to ensure a fully cooked product. Generally, European andouille is less spicy,
has a coarser texture, and lacks a smoky flavor as compared to Cajun andouille sausages.
American Cajun andouille can be baked, boiled, broiled, or sautéed.
Traditional gumbo starts with a dark caramel roux and a base of aromatic vegetables.
Next, andouille sausage and chicken stock join the fun, and everything simmers low
and slow until the thickened stew is ready for bowls of fluffy white rice.
Grilled andouille sausages also work well in soft hotdog buns and make
excellent additions to red beans and rice as well as a spicy seafood boil.
The word kielbasa means sausage in Polish. Kielbasa varies significantly in size and
flavor depending on the region. The kielbasa prototype that is
most commonly found across America is known as a "Polska kielbasa wedzona,"
which is a smoked pork sausage infused with garlic, pepper, and marjoram.
Bon Appétit vouches for the simplistic elegance of grilled kielbasa combined with mustard.
Mustard's tanginess compliments kielbasa's characteristic rich juiciness and mild smokey
flavor. Alternatively, a grill can be used to caramelize the snappy casing and pop it into a
bun with sautéed onions and peppers, and a squirt of mustard. Kielbasa can be sliced,
chopped, or diced and browned in a lightly oiled pan. Dishes such as split pea soup,
legume stews, or braised greens all welcome kielbasa's smokey bite.
Pepperoni needs no explanation. Despite having Italian origins,
pepperoni has been well and truly integrated into American culture. In the early 20th century,
Italian immigrants adapted Italian recipes to fit with available stateside ingredients.
Today, pizza shops tend to flaunt slices topped with charred pieces of pepperoni.
But do we really know what pepperoni is? Well, proper pepperoni contains pork, beef, or both.
Paprika, garlic, and other herbs and spices season the meat. After the meat is encased,
it's aged for a few days, smoked, and dried. Mild fermentation ensures a tangy flavor,
causing extra moisture to evaporate and the pepperoni to solidify.
Food Network Star Jeff Mauro stuffs pepperoni into pizza pockets,
homemade tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. In fact, the quality of his pizza pockets is so good,
that they speak for themselves…literally.
"I'm keto friendly! Eat me! I have no calories! Please!"
Pepperoni slices can also flavor meat sauces and rice dishes,
or even infuse toasted bread crumbs with their vibrant luscious appearance and oozing fat.
The Philippines is a beacon for fantastic food, and dishes such as chicken adobo, along
with other Filipino preparations, are beloved among foodies in the United States. Longganisa,
derived from the Spanish word "longaniza," refers to a broad selection of Filipino sausage links.
Longganisa is short and stubby but packs a punch of heat and sweetness. In the Philippines,
longganisa is eaten all day, but is first and foremost a Filipino breakfast essential
that is served with garlic fried rice and a fried egg.
In addition to being eaten with rice, longganisa is also dipped in vinegar with garlic,
chili, and onions to cut through the richness of the sausage.
To prepare longganisa, cook it in a shallow pan of water and then allow the water to
evaporate fully and the outer casing of the sausage to brown and glisten with fat.
Thailand is teeming with sausage diversity, but the sai ua sausage
is a notable standout. This prevalent street food sausage undergoes two seasoning steps:
First, ground pork is mixed with scallion, kaffir lime leaf, and cilantro. Then,
red curry paste, made with galangal, kaffir lime zest, lemongrass, garlic, fermented shrimp paste,
chilis, shallots, and fish sauce, is added to reinforce the mixture.
This aromatic pork mixture is then assembled into one very long casing,
forming a remarkable coil shape. After it's cooked, the sausage is cut into
pieces and served. Although it is typically grilled, sai ua can also be broiled, baked,
or fried. A little salty and a little spicy, sai ua is often served with vegetables, sticky rice,
and nam prikh num, a roasted green chili sauce spiked with garlic, cilantro, and fish sauce.
The "Northern Thai platter" at Pai, a northern Thai restaurant in Toronto, Canada,
is a feast for the eyes and stomach. The sausage slices feature on a platter overflowing
with barbecue pork skewers, laab salad, grabong squash fritters, tomato relish, and sticky rice.
A piece of crusty warm French bread with cheese and salami truly makes for a
perfect mouthful. Salami belongs to the Italian salumi family. Pork salami is centuries old,
suggested by the fact that it was depicted in a 1st-century Roman cookbook.
Salami is a cured sausage created by fermentation or an air-dry curing
process. Sausage fans can find unique salami interpretations throughout Europe. Sopressata,
a dry-aged salami, hails from Italy and is a popular addition to any charcuterie board.
Saucisson - from France - and salchichón - from Spain - both have a firm texture,
a pale-colored outer casing, and a meaty reddish-pink center.
Saucisson sec is a traditional French salami seasoned with garlic
and black pepper. Similarly, Spanish salchichón differs by region;
some sausages are derived from prized Iberian pigs while others use wild boar. Finally,
loukaniko - hailing from Greece - adopts the same textural attributes but introduces distinct cumin,
garlic, and orange zest notes. Unsurprisingly, time is a central aspect for all salami types,
and the aging process determines the specific nature of every sausage.
Mortadella is known as the bologna of Italy. However, Its texture, and flavor are profoundly
different from American bologna. Mortadella contains black pepper, warm spices, and
toothsome pistachios that pepper a silky smooth meat mixture. In order to make Mortadella,
seasoned pork meat paste is launched into robust casings and then immersed in a steam bath.
There's nothing like a thoughtfully crafted focaccia sandwich with a
generous serving of mortadella. All'Antico Vinaio,
a Florentine panini parlor, is revered for its sandwich that contains delicate mortadella curls,
creamy stracciatella cheese, and rich pistachio cream on Tuscan flatbread.
Beyond sandwiches, ground mortadella can also be used to bolster bolognese
meat sauce and add silkiness to a homemade veal ravioli filling.
Blood sausage is a delicious meaty delicacy that can be
thoroughly enjoyed once one overcomes any possible social stigmas or accusations of being a vampire.
"No! I'm not a…I'm not a vampire!"
Different parts of the world have their own version of blood sausage,
and though no two blood sausages are the same, blood is an essential ingredient
across the board. Characteristically, cooked blood sausage is dark in color
and sometimes contains a grain such as barley that helps bind everything together.
Spanish morcilla requires ground pork and pig's blood,
but other flavorings are wide-ranging. Slicing into morcilla sausage may reveal bits of rice,
pine nuts, or potato and smell of aromatic onion, paprika, or cinnamon. Spanish morcilla
can be fried in olive oil and paired with crusty bread or added to soups, stews, and braises.
In the U.K., blood sausage is often referred to as black pudding. Black
pudding is a blood sausage that can be found in Scotland, England, Ireland, and Canada. Black
pudding contains either pork or beef blood and cereal grains blended with animal fat
and various spices. It can be broiled or grilled, or sliced into coins and fried. Other times,
black pudding can be crumbled into crisp pizza crust and melted cheese puddles.
'Nduja has captured the hearts of spicy sausage lovers everywhere. The bright red sausage paste
tops pizzas, squeezes into pasta fillings, and accompanies plates of molten burrata cheese.
Hailing from the Vibo Valentia province in Italy, 'nduja is made with fatty pork, herbs, and spices,
and hallmark Calabrian chiles. The mixture is then blended into a paste,
stuffed into large casings, smoked with herbs, and left to cure for three to six months.
'Nduja has a striking bright red color. Unlike other soft-textured sausages that require cooking,
'nduja is fully cooked and ready to eat: all it requires is a piece of bread and a knife
for spreading. We recommend tossing 'nduja with warm pasta,
adding it to scrambled eggs, or incorporating it into homemade muffins.
The red oil from 'nduja can even coat fresh langoustine in a lovely layer of hot porky fat.